The Bauhaus house in Princeton. 229 S. Harrison St. is an ideal location for walkers, joggers, cyclists and anyone who enjoys the outdoors, with Lake Carnegie and the D&R Canal Towpath a five-minute walk down the street. Also affording relief from the area’s activity are Princeton University’s park-like Butler Tract right across the street and, in the back, the University’s Broadmead fields and thicket. It’s a 15-minute walk to Riverside Elementary School and to the north end of Princeton’s business district, including Small World Coffee on Nassau Street.

The house boasts a distinctive modernist Bauhaus design. It was built in 1936 and in the last four years has been updated with new siding and custom, double-pane Pella Architectural Series windows, both of which maintain the original look. There’s a balcony in the front that receives the morning sun and a viewing of the moon rise. It overlooks a shade garden and the treed open space of the University’s Butler
tract. The rear deck receives sun from noon to dusk and affords striking views of sunsets over the big open sky of these Broadmead fields and thicket. The rear deck leads into a backyard featuring cultivated garden beds enclosed by a one-of-a-kind fence that has a window allowing animal companions to view the adjacent fields beyond. The east and south outdoor rooms are connected by the side shade garden. A second-story room opens onto a roof deck affording another vista of the fields and thicket and the best place to be to see Princeton University’s annual Reunion fireworks display. True to the Bauhaus spirit, the design integrates the exterior and interior. Inside, the abundance of windows let in plentiful natural light. With an open floor plan, the living room in the front as well as the dining room, kitchen and laundry room afford views of the backyard garden. Opening the dining room’s double sliding glass doors in front and back creates a breezeway between the decks. The kitchen cabinets, countertop and appliances are new. The hardwood floor has been refinished. The bathroom was just remodeled, and the laundry room sink, cabinets, countertop and pantry shelves updated. Upstairs there are three bedrooms and a hallway lined with wooden built in cabinetry and drawers stained a deep mahogany brown. The master bedroom is spacious and airy with built in wooden closets. Another of the rooms is outfitted with a wall of shelves
to accommodate a significant library and makes for an ideal home office. The third room has a view of the garden, fields and thicket with a doorway to the rooftop deck. The basement accommodates a workout area and entertainment center. The backyard is fenced in. The garden within it consists of six terraced beds, one of them is a large vegetable garden area that also contains three raised beds. There’s a
compost bin that yields a rich organic compost. The property has the designation of ‘River Friendly Resident’ by the Stony Brook Millstone Watershed Association. In a similar vein, the construction materials selected are non-toxic and eco-friendly.